Unexploded cannon ball shell causes scare in Delhi’s Tughlaqabad

The cannon shell was spotted by a retired army man out on an evening walk around 6pm.

An unexploded cannon ball shell was found lying in a drain near Container Depot in south Delhi’s Tughlaqabad on Thursday evening. The recovery of the cannon ball comes after a similar recovery of an unexploded mortar shell from a park in Vasant Kunj in January this year.

The shell.

The cannon shell was spotted by a retired army man out on an evening walk around 6pm. “The shell must have been lying in the drain for a long time. But the man knew a thing or two about artillery because of his army background, so he immediately identified the object as a cannon ball shell,” said a senior police officer.

The former army man then immediately called the police after which the area was cordoned off and the shell safely removed from there, said Romil Baaniya, DCP (south). The National Security Guard (NSG) has been informed about the explosive.

Police said the shell weighs at least 60 kilos and it is unlikely that someone physically disposed it there. “It was possibly lying in the drain for a long time. It has become rusted,” said an officer, adding that the source from which the shell came is being investigated.